Foreverland

Chapter 21

•Peter•

She was beautiful when she smiled. When it was a true smile. Not like those she once fed me. I'd drifted into the shadows as Rose, Flynn and Twila spoke with each other. Getting louder and louder with each word. I didn't mind. Not when it gave me the chance to watch her eyes light up like that. I even almost joined in on the laughter when a boy burst through the front door.

His eyes were wild and loose hairs stood up around his face from where they'd fallen out of their braid. There was dirt smudged across his cheek, outlining the track where a tear had spilled from his eye. His chest rose and fell with ragged movements and his fingers that gripped the doorframe were beginning to turn white.

"Mikom! What happened? Are you alright?" Twila was at his side in a moment, helping him to a chair.

"I came as fast as I could," he gasped, "you- you said if anything happened I had to come as fast- as fast as I could."

"Mikom." Rose knelt before him, resting a gentle hand on his arm, "tell us what happened."

"That girl, she-" he gulped, eyes drifting over to where I was now standing, inching as close as I dared, "She... I- I watched her, just like you told me to. And she- oh Thorn- she did something awful. She lead one of them, one of the lost boys into the woods and she- she-"

I didn't need to listen to the end of his sentence to know what he was about to say. My knees had given out. My head was in my hands. I would've screamed if my throat wasn't so raw.

Someone was at my side, their hand tentatively resting on my back. I couldn't hear what they were saying over the ringing in my ears. Over the voices in my head that were screaming this is your fault, you brought her here, you left them to her mercy. It's your fault they're dead. It'll always be your fault. Your hands will never be clean of their blood.

"Who?" I managed to croak out, "which one?"

"I- I don't know their names." The boy was stumbling over his words and I wasn't sure if it was because of what he witnessed, or because he was talking to me. Peter Pan. "One of the older ones. Dark skin. Darker, curly hair."

Everything went numb. Every ounce of pain I'd just felt was gone. Replaced with anger. How dare she. How dare she even touch him.

I looked up at Rose and our eyes met. Hers were dark as I was sure mine were. She too remembered Winston. The small boy I allowed to sit on my throne.

"Whatever you're thinking Peter, you can't do it. Not yet. We don't have a plan." She stepped in my way when I stood, ready to flip me onto my back. I wouldn't let her, not this time. No one would stand in my way, not even Rose. Even though I was still weak, I would get my revenge. "You aren't thinking straight."

"I can think well enough." I hissed through my teeth.

"No, you aren't." She reached out to me- as if to touch my arm- but thought better of it and her hand fell limply at her side. "Ara killed him, don't you understand what that means? She can heal now. You barely survived against her when she didn't have that power."

"So you just expect me to sit here and wait? Wait for them all to be dead?" I was angry, yet inside I knew Rose was right. In this weak state, not now that Ara had grown stronger. I needed help. I thought I'd find that here. It was looking like I wouldn't.

"Mikom, please go get Tiger Lily." Rose said simply and the boy was off running again, breath still ragged. "Peter, I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside."

"Seriously?" My first balled into a fist, "you're making decisions about the fate of my boys and I don't even get to listen? Why does everyone always assume the worst of me?"